


the night is dark and the forest is deep

by rile



Category: Dream Daddy: A Dad Dating Simulator
Genre: Animal Death, Blood and Gore, Gen, Horror, M/M, POV Second Person, Supernatural Elements
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-29
Updated: 2017-07-29
Packaged: 2018-12-08 08:03:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,020
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11642358
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rile/pseuds/rile
Summary: There are forces in Maple Bay at work, and You catch a glimpse of them while out on a date with Robert.





	the night is dark and the forest is deep

**Author's Note:**

> There's a little bit of Dadsona having a panic attack but not enough for me to feel the need to tag it. The animal death is of a wild animal and is not super described but is still fairly graphic. Take care of yourself, Dads, and don't read if those things squick ya.
> 
> It's just a small drabble of an au that may turn into smth more if i get the energy.
> 
> beta'd by the lovely vrunka who treats me too good to be real  
> also thank u to this post for giving me cryptid hunter bffs mary and robert http://lifewhatisthat.tumblr.com/post/163365480406/i-have-a-hc-that-they-were-best-friends-from

Joseph isn't human. Robert tells you of this as Joseph lays in a pool of blood that's not his own between the two of you. You're holding onto the knife Robert gave you like a lifeline while he calls Mary on his cellphone. The conversation is something like "Yeah, it happened again. Hunting. Found a porcupine. Yeah, by the ocean," but you can't make out the details over the sound of water crashing against rocks. Robert's covering his eyes from the flashes of light coming from up the shore by the lighthouse and walking towards the main road, away from you. He looks surprisingly sober, all of the shakes and tells suddenly vanished.

You look up from Joseph's unconscious form to the mangled body of the animal that's all but in shreds, viscera sprayed around the surrounding area of the carcass. You can feel your stomach heave at the sight. Robert said it was a porcupine but you have no idea how he managed to identify it. Your mouth waters as bile begins to rise up your throat so you turn away again, back to the sand where Joseph remains unmoving, all of the gore around him sinking into the sand and away from sight.

He's your neighbour, you've seen his children, you've met his wife, and here he is with his mouth covered in animal fat and a burn mark on the back of his neck where Robert tazed him.

"Help me lift him up," comes a voice from your side, making you jump with fear. The knife in your pocket becomes the knife in your hand that's drawn and posed as you whirl around to face whatever horror comes next. Your feet are heavy in the sand and you find yourself tripping, landing right beside the very man who you once thought you knew. Robert comes back into sight as he stashes his phone away in his pocket, reaching a hand out to help you back to your feet.

Your entire body feels rigid, unable to move beyond the shuttering noises that leave your throat with every breath. You stare up at Robert for as long as you can before he crouches down beside you and cups your neck gently, thumb tracing your racing pulse. "Easy now, you're alright. Mary's coming to get him," He says, strangely calm given the circumstances, because you can't seem to get yourself back together. Robert says you're okay but then what about Joseph? About the animal he killed? Are they alright? How is any part of this alright? You can feel yourself hyperventilating as your eyes are drawn back to the stained pink and white of Joseph.

Robert doesn't stop you but instead pulls you to his chest. It's there that you realize you're shaking. "Look," Robert says slowly like he's picking his words carefully. "There's things at work here in Maple Bay that have been in play for thousands of years. Joseph is a product of all that. Mary and I... well, we try and keep him away from the path that too many people say he's destined for.

"We never meant to get you caught up in all this," Robert finally says and you can hear Mary's car racing towards your location from the cul-de-sac. "I'm sorry," He ends with, hoisting you back to your feet by your armpits like you're just another lightweight kid from the neighbourhood. The silver blade of Roberts knife lays where it's been dropped in the sand and you bend over to pick it back up, folding it back together and putting it in your pocket. You barely manage even that.

When you look back to him, Robert has fastened some sort of mask over the lower part of Joseph's face, a muzzle, your brain supplies, and has the unconscious man's arm over his shoulder, his own around Joseph's bloodstained waist. You've never seen this side of Robert and you're not sure you ever wanted to. In the distance you see Mary rushing towards you in her ribbed turtle neck and leggings, obviously thrown on in haste because you've never seen her look like this before. Robert looks relieved to see her and all you can do is stand there and watch as she helps take Joseph's weight in dragging him to the car. At least there isn't a trail of blood left by Joseph as he's pulled away, the skin of his bare feet covered in flaking, dried blood.

You can hear coyotes begin to howl but when you look towards the forest you see groups of green eyes, not in twos, but threes. Instinctively you know they'll take care of the mess left by Joseph, and take care of you if you don't follow Robert and Mary, too.

You rush after them both, reaching the car just in time to help Robert throw Joseph in the back. Mary's looking at you as she watches from the front seat, her nails tapping against the steering wheel. "Why don't you come over for drinks tomorrow?" She asks you both, the look in her eyes leaving no room for argument. Robert snorts and wipes his forehead with the back of his arm while you hold for dear life onto the car door. "We can talk," She says, "About the fucking mess Robert has gotten you into."

All you can do is nod dumbly, voice completely absent and your gut still churning as you hear the pack of animals from the beach front descend on the carcass. You shut the car door and Mary pulls away, driving back towards home and away from the two of you, leaving you with Robert and the uncomfortable realisation that the safe neighbourhood you moved into with your daughter is something completely beyond your understanding. You're still looking at where Mary once was when Robert puts a hand on your shoulder and draws your attention back to him. He's wearing a weak, sardonic smirk and you feel your face echo the expression.

"So, got a few thousand years of history to catch up on before we talk to Mary tomorrow. Ready?"


End file.
